A man accused of beating and strangling his girlfriend tried to “finish her off” by shooting her six times with a pellet gun, including twice in the genital area, according to an assistant Macomb County prosecutor.

The revelations arose in court Monday for the preliminary examination for Joseph J. Pagan, 38, accused of murdering and sexually assaulting Jacqueline Neumann, 47, whose naked body was found beaten, head and neck bound with duct tape and covered with plastic bags, and shot last August on the kitchen floor of her Clinton Township mobile home.

Pagan was ordered by Judge Linda Davis of 41B District Court in Clinton Township to face the first-degree murder and first-degree criminal sexual assault charge in Macomb County Circuit Court in Mount Clemens, where he faces a July 7 arraignment. First-degree murder carries an automatic penalty of life in prison without parole.

Newman died primarily from asphyxiation due to two layers of duct tape wrapped over her mouth and part of her nose, and four grocery bags and a kitchen trash bag secured over her head, Macomb County Medical Examiner Daniel Spitz testified.

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Also contributing to her demise inflicted while she was dying were seven blows to her head inflicted with a gumball machine base and six pellet shots to her body: three to her chest, one to her neck and two to her vaginal area, for which he is charged with criminal sexual conduct, according to Spitz and township police Detective Dan Quinn.

During his description of the incident to police during an Aug. 14 interview, Pagan admitted he shot the woman in the groin but Quinn did not reveal if he gave a reason.

Pagan told Quinn and another detective that he attacked Neumann during an argument that started after the couple ate dinner and had sexual intercourse the night of Aug. 5, Quinn said. Pagan said he first hit her with a cane and then the gumball machine base, he said. He wrapped her with the duct tape and put the bags over her head.

The detective did not note the nature of the disagreement. The couple had been dating “on and off” for about two years, Quinn said.

Pagan said while Neumann laid unconscious, he retrieved the pellet gun from his car, according to Quinn. After shooting her, Pagan said he tried to “clean her up” and clean the scene with bleach he retrieved from his car a second time, he said.

Still, Pagan told police that he believed she was still alive and saw her a day or two later.

“He said he saw her passing in her car so knew she was OK,” Quinn said.

In arguing for first-degree, premeditated murder, Assistant Macomb Prosecutor William Cataldo said Pagan had a chance for a “second look,” to reconsider and stop. She had several likely defensive wounds on hands and arms, according to Spitz.

“When you look at the massive amount of fight that occurred, the amount of tape, the bags, … she was already continuing to struggle,” Cataldo said. “Clearly it was enough for him to have a second look. When he had the opportunity for a second look, he went out and got a pellet gun to, for lack of a better term, try to finish her off.”

Neumann’s body was found a week later, Aug. 12. Investigators learned of her relationship with Pagan through interviews and phone records, Quinn said. Also, Pagan has a dog, and paw prints were found at the scene. Prints from “boat shoes” at the scene matched footwear Pagan was known to wear, he said.

Pagan confessed after police, with the help of the U.S. Marshal’s Service, located him living in a “motor lodge” near downtown Detroit, Quinn said. Pagan had recently been evicted from a Casco Township residence.

Pagan during the police interview made several outlandish claims that Quinn said he thought at the time may be intentional efforts to avoid blame. Pagan claimed Neuman was “involved in unbelievable events,” Quinn said. “He’d go off on tangents and stuff.”

He accused Neumann of killing his child, although there is no evidence he has a child, and trying to sell Pagan to the country of Qatar.

Pagan made several claims connected to the military although there is no evidence he ever was in the military. He claimed he spent time in an Iraqi prison, trained “special ops” in 2001, and was shot down while riding in an airplane during a military mission, Quinn said.

A psychologist or psychiatrist with the state Center for Forensic Psychiatry in November determined Pagan was mentally unfit to stand trial. But the same expert earlier this year determined that Pagan regained competency, although he remains mentally ill.

Pagan’s attorney, Jeffrey Cojocar, said he will seek another mental evaluation following Pagan’s circuit court arraignment.

Cojocar said of Pagan’s wild claims: “Either he’s going to win an Academy Award or he has some issues.”

About the Author

My beat is the courts of Macomb County and general assignment.
Read more of Jameson Cook's court coverage on his blog http://courthousedish.blogspot.com/ Reach the author at jamie.cook@macombdaily.com
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